NFL Trade Block Big Board Entering Week 1

Coming out of final cuts and a preseason without any exhibition games, NFL teams need all the help they can get ahead of Week 1. 

Luckily for those teams in need and/or teams still looking to dump players and get something in return, the trade block remains an option. 

And teams have been exercising that option amid the chaos. Yannick Ngakoue was one of the most recent big movers on the block, and the NFL as a whole has shown it is prone to big moves even at this stage, highlighted by Jadeveon Clowney finally finding a home, for example. 

With Ngakoue off the list, let's take a look at the top players on the trade market, based on factors like a team's on-field and cap situation, as well as the likelihood of player movement. 

The Selection Process

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To assemble a top-10 list, we first gathered the top 15 most likely names for the trade block according to prior speculation and common sense, taking factors like availability and team needs into consideration. 

Ngakoue, for example, was always an obvious name to have on such a list for the better part of a year because it was clear the Jacksonville Jaguars were heading for a rebuild and wouldn't want to pony up for an extension—especially if they could get a nice haul in return for his departure. 

Once the top 15 was formed, we narrowed it down to the top 10 by looking at the likelihood of a trade and talent of the player. 

Here's the initial 15-player list, in no particular order:

• O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
• Le’Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets
• Jerick McKinnon, RB, San Francisco 49ers
• Joe Thuney, G, New England Patriots
• Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
• Ryan Kerrigan, EDGE, Washington
• Jacoby Brissett, QB, Indianapolis Colts 
• DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Denver Broncos
• Denzel Perryman, LB, Los Angeles Chargers
• Kenny Stills, WR, Houston Texans 
• Haason Reddick, LB, Arizona Cardinals
• Trent Murphy, EDGE, Buffalo Bills
• Josh Norman, CB, Buffalo Bills
• Vic Beasley Jr., EDGE, Tennessee Titans

10. Trent Murphy, Edge, Buffalo Bills

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It was almost a little surprising to see Trent Murphy make the final 53 with the Buffalo Bills, which speaks to how available he just might be on the block. 

The Bills, after all, added Quinton Jefferson and Mario Addison in free agency and then used a second-round pick on Iowa standout A.J. Epenesa. 

The Bills only have roughly $15 million in cap space, so it's notable Murphy checks in as the team's fourth-highest cap charge this season despite clear-cut additions to the roster around him, if not in front of him. 

Murphy, heading into his age-30 season, still had a 74.2 Pro Football Focus grade last year with five sacks and 19 pressures, which should appeal to teams with cap space to blow looking to acquire long-term assets for taking on his contract. 

9. Haason Reddick, LB, Arizona Cardinals

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The Arizona Cardinals seemed to give up on the Haason Reddick experiment this year by drafting Isaiah Simmons eighth overall. 

Reddick, the 13th pick in the 2017 draft, had his fifth-year option declined by the team after posting a 40.2 PFF grade last year while playing just 61 percent of the defense's snaps, missing 12.6 percent of his tackles and allowing a completion percentage of 75 percent on 56 targets. 

Sounds bad, but the Cardinals never did nail down a firm position for the versatile defender, and the organization hasn't been stable from a coaching standpoint for the duration of his tenure there. 

Another team, especially a rebuilder, might like to grab a recent first-round pick with versatile traits who has played multiple positions in the pros, stick him in a consistent spot in a different scheme and see what happens. The Cardinals probably would be willing to accept anything in return at this point. 

8. Jerick McKinnon, RB, San Francisco 49ers

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The San Francisco 49ers have a loaded running back room, which makes the presence of Jerick McKinnon pretty interesting. 

McKinnon hasn't played a down of meaningful football since January 2018 because of repeated knee injuries. He's spent the last two seasons on injured reserve while earning about $16 million and is a $2.9 million cap hit this year. 

More importantly, the 49ers added Tevin Coleman last season, and Raheem Mostert looks like the clear-cut starter (in August, Cam Inman of the Mercury News reported McKinnon was working as the third back). The 49ers also restructured Mostert's contract this summer to keep him happy after his strong showing last season. 

McKinnon, still just 28, might be an attractive rental for a team looking to use him more prominently in a rotation. In his last healthy season, after all, he had 570 rushing yards and 51 catches (2017) in 16 games (one start). San Francisco would be fine with the current depth chart if he ended up moving. 

7. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

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Based on the franchise's longstanding behavior, the Cincinnati Bengals aren't likely to move star wideout A.J. Green. 

But an offseason removed from watching Green suffer a season-ending injury on the first day of training camp, the Bengals mostly held Green out of this year's camp activities after he suffered a slight hamstring issue. 

The Bengals, one of the most active teams in free agency this year, have $11.4 million in cap space and Green sitting there on the franchise tag as the team's highest cap charge at $18.171 million. 

While Green is a great player when healthy, he hasn't been since he played in just nine games in 2018. The Bengals have plenty of talent around Joe Burrow even without him thanks to Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, John Ross III, Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard. 

That might make it easier for the Bengals to make a move if they think a long-term pact with Green isn't feasible and a would-be contender comes with a big offer. 

6. Ryan Kerrigan, Edge, Washington

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Ryan Kerrigan has consistently been one of the most criminally underrated players in the NFL. 

And rest assured other teams know it. 

Washington might not hate the idea of shedding Kerrigan's $11.688 million cap hit—fourth-highest on the team—for the right trade offer, though. 

Doing so would let the young guys play during a transitional era for Ron Rivera. Kerrigan is 32 years old and has 2019 first-round pick Montez Sweat, 2020 No. 2 pick Chase Young and 2017 second-round pick Ryan Anderson vying for snaps at his position. 

Kerrigan, owner of at least eight sacks in every season except 2019 dating back to 2012 (he reached double digits four times), has one year left on his deal at one of the team's strongest positions and is an obvious target for contenders looking to win it all. 

5. O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Maybe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to stockpile as much talent around Tom Brady as possible and not blink at trade offers. 

But it might make more sense to hear what other teams have to say about tight end O.J. Howard, the 19th pick in the 2017 draft who could have a hard time getting his fair shake in an offense with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Cameron Brate, Rob Gronkowski, Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy. 

Howard scored 11 times over his first two seasons but had just one touchdown a season ago. It's safe to presume he'll have a hard time putting up numbers given the revival of the Brady-Gronk connection, never mind a talent like Evans at wideout. 

A plethora of teams would have an interest in the versatile Howard, who has an upcoming fifth year on his rookie deal. With the sales pitch that a more prominent role in the offense could lead to bigger things, Tampa Bay could net a nice long-term return while still sitting pretty comfortably at the position. 

4. Le’Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets

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Le’Veon Bell's name isn't going to leave the rumor mill pretty much ever after he sat out an entire season before joining the New York Jets. 

Events since joining the Jets haven't helped, either. Bell was a massive flop during his first year with the team, rushing for 789 yards and three scores at a paltry 3.2 yards per carry and making 66 catches—his lowest total since 2015. 

Bell, now 28, watched as the Jets added the reliable Frank Gore in free agency, and per Rich Cimini of ESPN, it has merely been a 60-40 split in usage between the two backs during camp. 

Considering Bell has the highest cap hit on the Jets at $15.5 million and two more years under contract if the team doesn't exercise the built-in out after this season, the Jets might not balk at an outside offer and use someone else in the split with Gore. 

Granted, a potential trade partner would take a chance on Bell doing better with a change of scenery and scheme and have to boast plenty of cap space to cover that risk for at least the 2020 season. 

3. Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

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Alshon Jeffery has been a constant subject of trade speculation for the better part of a year. 

And it's not hard to see why. While speculation ran rampant, the Eagles added Jalen Reagor at No. 21 overall this year, then John Hightower in the fifth round and Quez Watkins in the sixth—all to a depth chart still boasting DeSean Jackson. 

As of September 5, the Eagles were still trying to trade Jeffery, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Jeffery, now 30 years old, appeared in just 10 games last year and missed three the year prior but has the team's fourth-highest cap hit at $15.397 million. 

At this point, a Jeffery trade would presumably be a salary-cap dump and little else. He hasn't posted a 1,000-yard season since 2014 and has one 16-game season over the last five. But a contending team might have hopes he can rediscover some of that nine-touchdown upside from 2017 if he can get healthy.

He's recovering from December foot surgery but avoided the PUP list, so when he's fully healthy, a move could happen.

2. Jacoby Brissett, QB, Indianapolis Colts

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Jacoby Brissett isn't the most talented player on the trade block by any means, but the inflation of his position sure makes him an important talking point. 

Brissett had his chance to start last year and watched the Indianapolis Colts add Philip Rivers in free agency to replace him. While his supporting cast was far from ideal, he completed just 60.9 percent of his passes with 2,942 yards and 18 touchdowns against six interceptions. 

The Colts were content to gamble on a regressing Rivers instead of trying a second year with Brissett, which means they would probably be open for business if a team that suffered an injury at quarterback were to come calling with a fair offer. 

Considering Brissett still represents the third-highest cap charge on the Colts this year at $21.375 million and it's the final year of his deal, it would take some creative accounting to make things work with a trade partner. But desperation has a way of making big quarterback deals happen, with even someone like Nick Foles becoming a hot trade commodity recently.

1. Vic Beasley Jr., Edge, Tennessee Titans

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Vic Beasley Jr. has been a mystery for the Tennessee Titans all summer. 

Beasley, a top-seven cap charge for the Titans at $9.5 million, arrived to camp late and was placed on the non-football injury list for failing his physical. He was finally removed from the list on September 5, but it's clear he might not even play Week 1. 

Complicating matters further is the sudden arrival of Jadeveon Clowney right before the season on a $15 million deal, meaning Beasley's role is in question in the shadow of an elite all-around defender who produced an 87.3 PFF grade last season. 

Beasley, seemingly already behind after joining his new team, has registered more than five sacks in a season just twice over five years and received a 58.9 PFF grade last year. He's not guaranteed to see the field much, either—not with Clowney, 2019 first-round pick Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry soaking up snaps all over the place. 

By midseason, Beasley's one-year deal and shaky standing could make him an obvious trade mover, especially if a buyer is convinced a change of scenery could see him return to his 2016 All-Pro form that resulted in a league-best 15.5 sacks.